Mac and Jack One-Shots
by Frosty Mac
Summary: I love Mac and Jack's dynamic and bromance so I figured I'd try my hand at some one-shots because I'm not dedicated enough to write a long story... First Mac fic..
1. Origins Part 1

**First Mac story! I am not MacGyver so if anything in here doesn't make logical sense, please let me know and I'll see what I can do to amend it. Please leave reviews!**

Jack was annoyed. First, his 'vacation' was cut short. Him and his team were supposed to get a week off to rest and get back to 100%. Halfway through the week his CO calls him up and tells him they need to assist in an extraction. The extraction of an EOD specialist. He wasn't annoyed that his vacation was cut short, he had been ITCHING to do something. It was the mission. An extraction. He did not like those.

He was dreading it. Until he heard who they were extracting. Shepard. He hadn't ever met the guy but he had heard the rumors. He was the best.

Fast forward 8 hours...

Mac P.O.V

He woke to the sound of gunfire. Rapid gunfire. Military grade gunfire. The sound was above him, echoing through the mostly bare room. Wincing, he slowly pushed himself up off the dirt floor and took in his surroundings. It was dark and hard to see but he could tell was in a cell of some sort, the top half of his uniform was gone, and there was no obvious way out. The back of his head starting throbbing. He put his hand to his head and brought it back red. With a grimace he ignored the pain as he wiped his hand on his pants and stood up. He was wobbly at first but was able to stay standing.

Before doing anything else he assessed himself. He had ahead wound, obviously, everything else above his waist was either bruised or sore and could be attended to later. There was a warm feeling on his right thigh. Unstrapping his pants he checked it. There was a centimeter wide hole oozing blood. How he didn't notice earlier he'd never know, but he quickly ripped the bandanna off his head and tied a tourniquet around his thigh. Not finding anything else he re-strapped his pants and focused on his escape.

The gunfire didn't seem as frequent now, and he silently hoped that they would find him. He looked around the room looking for something to use to get out. There was a pile of bricks in the corner, a wooden plank, a metal pole, a very old plastic chair. He limped over to the chair, and sat down.

He broke a leg off the chair and rubbed the end of it on one of the bricks, slowly but effectively 'sanding' it down. Still sitting, he put the sharpened edge through the keyhole of his cell and attempted to lock it. He grunted in frustration when it wouldn't pick.

He pulled the plastic out and rubbed it against the brick again. It took a few tries but he eventually got the door open. He heard gunfire every few moments now. It seemed to be getting closer to him. He held onto the piece of plastic and struggled to stand up.

A wave of nausea swept over him, but he swallowed it down and started limping over to the exit. About halfway to the door he heard footsteps. Not knowing if they were friendly or not, he dove behind a rusted metal box. A few seconds later light shone in the room, and the footsteps entered. Gripping the plastic like a dagger and holding his breath, Mac waited for the person to get closer. "I don't see anyone in here. I'm going to check just to be safe, but keep looking everywhere else." The voice had a southern twang to it. Mac almost sighed in relief. Only an American would sound like that.

"Here." He managed to croak out as another wave of nausea hit him, causing him to roll over and empty the contents of his stomach. He felt a hand on his back and he flinched at the touch. His instincts kicking in, he rolled away from the man which was not a good idea. He ended up on his knees dry heaving. When his stomach was done trying to get out what wasn't there. he turned to face the man. "Shepard?" The man asked. Mac nodded, and gripped the mans outstretched hand as he pulled himself up. He winced at the pressure he put on his hurt leg, and wobbled as the room spun around him like a tilt-a-whirl.

"I know you're hurting but can you walk a bit? We've gotta get out of here before reinforcements arrive." Mac slowly nodded, not opening his mouth for fear of emptying his stomach again. The soldier draped Mac's left arm around his neck and shoulders.

Mac and the soldier moved quickly, Mac having to bite his lip to keep from making any noise of protest. The soldier spoke again. Something about finding Shepard and rendezvous', but Mac was too busy trying not to vomit or black out to care.

When they made it out of the building Mac squinted in the sunlight. It was too bright. He kept his eyes closed and focused on walking with the soldier. The soldier paused, and Mac opened his eyes to look at him. His face was grim. "We gotta go back inside. Reinforcements are almost here and they're coming from the direction we need to go."

Mac groaned. "Great."

He curled his free hand into a fist and bit his lip so hard he drew blood as he hobbled back to the place he thought he was free of. He knew his head injury was getting to him when he started comparing his situation to Jim Kirk's on Tarsus IV from Star Trek. His chuckle brought a worried look from the soldier.

Once they were back inside Mac looked around. There was old equipment scattered around what looked like an old warehouse. The soldier propped him up by the wall away from the door and any windows, and went to talk to the three other men across the room. Grunting, Mac hobbled over to one of the machines and started tinkering with the parts.

A few minutes later, sitting down, he slid himself over to another machine to find a wire. He ripped the cover off the control panel and saw a blinking red light.

A few minutes earlier...

"So Shepard is a kid?" Davies asked.

Jack shrugged. "I don't care. We need to get him out, and soon. He's got a bullet in his leg, and a concussion."

Davies grimaced. "We need to find another way out. We can't take on another wave of men."

"I know, I know. We don't have enough fire power." Jack said. Just then a clang echoed through the room. Jack quickly looked around, drawing his weapon. Shepard was sitting next to one of the machines, ripping parts out, and had dropped one. There was something in his lap that resembled a bomb.

Jack sighed. "Mark, will you go watch the kid? I don't want him doing anything stupid." Mark chuckled softly as he walked over to Mac. Mac started scooting to another machine and ripped a panel off. When Mark saw the flashing red light, he called Jack over. "Jack!" Mark shouted, waving at him. Mac immediately put his hands in the panel and felt along the device. It was connected to 10 wires, and all of them were blue. There was a clock on the front, but it wasn't on.

Jack ran over, and went pale at the sight. "Well, it's a good thing Shepard is the best at what he does." Mac turned to look at him with a worn look on his face.

"Do you want me to?"

"Do what?" Jack asked.

Mac grimaced in pain. "I can get it out and move it, then rig it to go off when their men get here."

"Kid, if you can do that without blowin' any of us up, I'm all for it." Jack said.

Mac turned back to the bomb, grabbed one wire and pulled it out, much to the dismay of the other men in the building who were starting to doubt their leader's decision, then proceeded to pull the rest of it out of the machine.

"Woah dude! You think you should be more careful with the thing that can go boom?" Mark said, having taken several steps back after Mac viciously ripped out the wire.

"I know what I'm doing." Mac said, his voice monotone now, not even bothering to look up from what he was doing as he set the bomb on the ground in front of him. He took the wires he had just ripped out and tore the rubber coating off. Taking the dead wire, he separated a few strands and twisted them together as tightly as he could, then folded it in half and twisted it again. He took his hard wire and put it in his mouth while flipping the bomb over so he could access the bottom.

Taking the hard wire, he started using it as a makeshift screwdriver. "Dude. How do you know this isn't gonna make us go boom?" Mark asked, still a few feet away.

"I built the damn thing that's how!" Mac shouted, dropping the wire out of his shaking hand. He didn't know if he was shaking from pain or just out of shear fear. Either way, the trembling was starting to frustrate him as he stared at his hand. He grabbed the wire off the ground and went back to work, taking deep breath to try and calm his nerves and muscles.

"What do you mean you built it?" One of the unnamed soldiers asked after a moment of tense silence.

Mac took another shaky breath, successfully taking the panel off the back. Ignoring the question, he looked at Jack. "I need to know how long till their reinforcements get here."

Jack stared at him for a minute, then turned his comm on. "Bravo six this is Bravo one, eta on those reinforcements?" Mac watched Jack as he got a reply.

"Roughly five minutes."

Mac looked down at the bomb again, and started messing with the internal wires. "What do you mean you built it?" The soldier asked again, enunciating every word this time out of fear and frustration. Mac continued to ignore him as he rewired the bomb to go off in five minutes and fifteen seconds. The clock on the front suddenly came on and started counting down.

Once he was done, he handed the bomb to Jack. "I suggest putting it a several yards away from the building under about three inches of sand in the path you think they are most likely to take." Jack took the bomb without a word and started to leave as the soldier who kept pestering Mac shouted out at him.

"Jack! How do you know it's not gonna go off in your hands? He built the damn thing for goodness sakes. How do you know you can trust him?" He shot Mac a dirty look.

Jack stopped and looked at him. "He's Shepard." And he turned back around and walked out of the building to plant the bomb.

The soldier kept throwing Mac dirty looks, as Mac sat on the floor and stared out the window. When Jack came back, Mac's internal clock told him they had about one and a half minutes left till the bomb blew up. "We need to get far away from the bomb." Mac said as Jack came and helped him up off the ground.

He took in a sharp breath when he stood, but made no other sound to indicate he was in any kind of distress. "How about where I found you?" Jack asked.

Mac's stomach turned at the thought of going back into that hellhole. "No. That corner will work and make it easier to get out faster." Mac pointed to the right most corner of the room. Jack helped him hobble over to the corner. "Five, four, three, two." One was cut off by the sound and shaking of the bomb going off. Flames entered the building through the windows and the entrance to the building.

Once again, Jack was helping Mac out of the building, one arm gripping Mac's, the other holding a pistol. Mac focused on putting one foot in front of the other as Jack shot at anything that moved in the smoke, while half dragging Shepard to the rendezvous point. Jack heard bullets whiz by, but couldn't do anything about it.

Mac's vision started to blur as he got dizzier and dizzier, barely able to make out his feet as he looked down. Just as he felt his eyelids close, his arm exploded in pain. He made a soft whimper at the added pain, but his vision cleared and he was able to make out the helicopter in front of him.

Jack looked down at his comrade in arms with worry. They were almost to the chopper, but he was looking worse and worse. Once they reached the chopper, Jack and two of his squad helped hoist him up. Once all his men were inside he signaled for the pilot to take off. Jack looked down at the pale EOD tech. His eyes were barely open, his skin was a shade paler than it was before, and he noticed a red stain slowly covering his bicep.

Jack lifted the shirt sleeve to find yet another gun wound. "Pete. Gimme your bandanna. The kid went and got himself shot again." Mac's head rolled in the direction of Jack's voice. Suddenly his arm was on fire again and this time he couldn't hold back his cry of pain. His eyes opened to see Jack wrapping his arm tightly with a piece of fabric.

"Are there any other life threatening injuries I should know about?" Jack asked, looking smug.

Mac took a shaky breath. "M' chest hurts. Hard to breathe." he said in short breaths. His vision started to get darker as Jack lifted his shirt and swore. "Hey! Someone call the base and tell them to have a medic there to meet us as soon as we land. His chest..." That was all Mac heard before the blackness swallowed him up into a blissful oblivion.


	2. Origins Part 2

**Okay. I've seriously strayed from my original idea for this one shot. It's now a two shot, and there's more hurt than comfort, and yeah. I'm so glad y'all like it! It made me smile to wake up to emails of y'all liking and following and reviewing. Eek! Also, I can be very descriptive about some things and it can make the scene drag on and on so I'm attempting to make it a tad less... so if something doesn't ever make sense or seems to go on like the digits of pi, just let me know xD.**

 **Guest: No, I'm not leaving it there! I forgot to put part 1 in the chapter title. Here's part 2!**

 **poxelda: Oh. My. Gosh. You're literally, one of my favorite Mac fanfic authors.** **?** **Thank you!**

 **JustADreamer24: I was planning on it being a one shot but it got away from me so this is part 2!**

 **Guest: Thank you!**

 **Everyone else who reviews, thank you!**

 **Without further ado... part 2!**

Mac couldn't decide if being with the terrorist or being in the hospital was worse. Which one is worse? The smell of burning flesh or the smell of an overly sterilized room? Seeing blood on the ground and not knowing if it was yours or someone else's, or not seeing anything but clean white sheets and walls and floors?

Mac was stuck between sleep and awake with nothing but his own thoughts to occupy him. Nothing but memories of what happened in that hellhole. Which was something he did not want to think about but he couldn't run from his own mind.

He could feel the bullet going through his leg again as the afghani man got frustrated with his silence. The countless hits scattered over his torso and face, the second bullet through his arm, he was feeling it all again.

Even though he wasn't fully unconscious, he also wasn't fully awake. At one point he could feel the rough hospital gown he was in, another time he could feel a tube down his throat. He tried to lift his hands to move it but nothing was responding to his commands.

He tried to keep his thoughts away from the torture, but they inevitably went there and Mac was helpless to stop the barrage of images through his mind.

"You will build this for us or you will be killed." The man said. Mac looked up at him, blood running down his nose. He spat blood at his face, and gave him a defiant

look. The mans mouth moved up into and eerie smile.

He shouted something in Pashto "دوی ته راوړل" (bring them in) Mac looked at the door with a little fear. He spoke a little Pashto and now was getting nervous. A moment later one of the men in his unit came in, his face bloody and his chin on his chest. His eyes were open but he couldn't speak because of the gag in his mouth. His hands were tied behind his back, and his legs were shackled. The guard shoved him forward towards the center of the room and directly in front of Mac.

He looked up at Mac with a defeated but stubborn look. He softly shook his head as if telling him no. The guard left and the man interrogating Mac shoved Davis to his knees. "Now. You will build the device for us or we will kill your comrades in front of you one by one."

Mac's eyes took on a wild, desperate look. Davis shook his head again. Mac locked eyes with him. He couldn't let him die. "What is your decision?" The man asked, his accent getting thicker the more he got frustrated.

After a minute, Mac, still staring at Davis, finally spoke. "Fine. I'll do it." Davis was yanked out of the room with a look of desperation washing over his face. Mac just stared at the spot Davis had been kneeling on. The door was slammed shut, and the man walked over to Mac, kneeling down to his eye level. "Now, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Mac refused to make eye contact even as the man grabbed his face and pulled it up, inches away from his face. "Piss off." Mac said, yanking his chin out of the mans grasp and whacked his forehead on the mans nose.

Cursing, he straightened up and grasped his nose. The last thing Mac remembered was seeing the mans furious look as blood flowed freely out of his nose before he felt a sharp pain in the side of his head before blacking out.

The first thing Mac felt when he finally fully woke up was something stuck in his throat. He tried to lift his hands to move it but he could feel something restricting his movement. Momentarily forgetting where he was, he started panicking and pulling against the hospital restraints.

Jack Dalton, who had been walking down the hallway, looking for MacGyver to check on the kid, happened to pass by as Mac started to struggle. Rushing in, Jack ran to the side of the hospital bed and firmly held his shoulders down, speaking gently.

"Hey hey hey. You're okay kid. You're in the hospital. Open your eyes man."

Mac's eyelids slowly opened as he calmed down enough to focus on Jack's voice. "That's it buddy. See. You're safe." Jack said, taking his hands off his shoulders, and turning to look at the nurse who had just walked in.

"Well, look who's awake." She said with a sweet smile. "I'm just going to take down your vitals for the doctor. Is that okay?" She aimed her question at Mac, but glanced at Jack. Mac just stared at her, glancing back and Jack every couple seconds or so.

Jack looked at Mac, not sure if he heard the question. "MacGyver, did you hear the nice nurse lady?" Mac turned his gaze over to Jack. His eyes looked glassed over as if he was still somewhere else. "She's gonna take your vitals okay? So don't freak out." He leaned a little closer to Mac and loudly whispered, "She's really secretly an elf."

The sides on Mac's mouth moved up a little and his eyes seemed to clear, but only for a second, and then he went back to his glossy eyed stare into space. The nurse put gloves on and started going through her routine, while Jack gripped Mac's hand.

The EOD's hand gripped the Delta's hand like his life depended on it. That's how Jack knew Mac wasn't completely out of it. Once the nurse was done, she removed the restraints and left with his chart and a promise that the doctor would be here to check on his shortly to take the tube out of his throat, and Jack let go of his hand and pulled up a chair.

"Hey kid. I know I don't know you very well, more like I don't know you at all. But the man I saw out there in the field, isn't a quitter. I know you can hear me even though you ignored that elf nurse, and you're pretending that you can't hear me, and that's okay. Just don't go hide inside that big brain. Talk to someone. I know what it's like."

Jack stood as if to leave, but Mac grabbed his arm and locked eyes with him, all signs of confusion or cloudiness gone. "You want me to stay?" Mac nodded slowly. "Okay." Jack said casually, and plopped back into the chair. Mac released his hold on Jack's arm.

"So." Mac just stared at Jack. "You wanna talk? Or am I gonna have to do all the talkin?"

Mac just glared at him. "What? You know, generally when someone asks you a question you answer them." Jack said, propping his legs up on another chair and putting his hands behind his back.

Mac continued to glare, raising his eyebrows as if to say, really?

"Alright fine. I'll do all the talking. Here's the spark notes version of my autobiography. I'm Jack, my age ain't any of your business, I'm from Texas, Dallas Cowboys all the way man." Mac rolled his eyes at that one. "What? It's football. Don't tell me you don't like football."

Mac tried to shrug, but his shoulder was sore and he winced a little bit. "Ah. Well, I guess it's not for everyone. But seriously? Do you like any kind of sports?"

Mac nodded slowly, and reached for Jack's hand. "What. You want my hand again?" Mac nodded again. Jack put his hand on the side of the bed. Mac started tapping his hand in Morse code.

"Haha! That's genius! B-A-S-K-E-T, basketball? You like basketball?" Mac nodded. "Who's your team?" Mac was about to start tapping an answer, but the door opened. A man with black hair walked into the room with a plastic cup with a spoon in one hand, and looking at a chart in the other.

"Hello. I'm Doctor Garbenstien. You ready to get that tube out?" He said, looking up from his clipboard. Mac nodded slowly again, and the doctor set his things down and donned on some gloves. Jack got up but Mac gripped his hand again. Jack turned and looked at Mac, but his eyes already closed, and his eyebrows were furrowed in anticipation.

Jack just gripped Mac's hand as the doctor removed all the equipment connected before slowly pulling out the tube in MacGyver's throat. Mac started gagging as he pulled out the tube, but the doctor was efficient and didn't waste any time pulling the rest of it out quickly. Once he set the tube on a tray, he grabbed the cup and gave it to Jack. "Give him some of the ice ships. It'll help soothe his throat."

Jack, not thinking twice about how he barely even knew the kid, spooned a piece of ice into Mac's open mouth. Mac's eyes closed again as the ice melted and went down his throat. "Does that feel good?" Jack asked.

Mac nodded. "Gimme the cup." He managed to get out, even though it sounded scratchy. Jack handed the cup to Mac, who immediately grasped the spoon and swallowed more ice. The doctor told Mac to take it easy for the next couple of days, and he would reevaluate then.

Mac just nodded, shoving more ice chips in his mouth. Once the doctor left. Mac set the cup and spoon down on the table next to him. "Okay buddy. I gotta go. I'll come back tomorrow to see how you're doin. You need to get some rest." Jack said, turning to walk away.

"He killed them all."

Jack turned back around. Mac's face had turned stoney and gray. "He killed my unit." His eyes started to fill with unwanted tears. "He threatened to kill them if I didn't build the bombs, and after I built them he lined them up and, and," Mac squeezed his eyes closed as tight as he could. "His men shot them all in front of me."

He furiously wiped his eyes dry and sat up, ignoring the pain in his ribs. Jack just stood there till Mac was done getting control of his emotions. "Man. They're all dead. All of them. Because of me." Mac wiped his shaking hands over his face, starting to panic

Once again Jack walked back to his comrades bedside. "MacGyver." He said sternly. Mac flinched a little but looked at Jack, pale and red-eyed.

"This, you're unit dying, none of it was your fault. There was nothing you could have done to save them. Those guys that captured you? They're the Jaish-e-Mohammed. They openly declared war on us, and they were going to kill you and your unit eventually. There was nothing you could have done."

Mac shook his head. "I could've stalled, gotten more time for y'all to come rescue us. Davis, he was supposed to go home in a month. Now they're all going home in bags Jack. That's on me."

Jack put a hand on Mac's unbruised shoulder. "Stop blaming yourself, and wallowing in the past. Don't let their deaths be for nothing. You'll come back stronger, and smarter, and I'd better not find out you did something crazy after this, cause I'm gonna need my favorite EOD back once you're back to your normal super smart self."

Mac smiled a little bit. "Go on and lay down, alright? Get some sleep." Jack said. Even as he spoke he could see the young techs eyes drooping shut.

"Don't you worry pal. You'll be alright." Jack murmured, pulling the blanket up to Mac's shoulders. He gave the sleeping tech one more look before walking out of the room with a smile forming on his lips.

 **Alright. I suck at endings. Yes. I know this. I've been super busy lately because I'm in Texas and my house was flooded by Harvey, so I may not post for a week or two, but I'll do my best. Thanks for reading and reviewing guys! Y'all are amazing!**


	3. Promises

***Okay. That last one-shot got away from where I wanted it to go. 100% not what I was planning at all. Hopefully I can stay on track with this one and not feel as rushed because the last one was not supposed to be a two shot, it was supposed to be a one shot. So yeah. Hopefully I can keep on task with this one but who knows. Maybe I'll start with a snowball and build a snowman instead. I don't know. Here goes! Wait. No, I'm not done. H/C is my favorite but if anyone has a request or suggestion don't hesitate to let me know! I'm all for y'all shooting me ideas.**

* * *

Tag to Cigar Cutter, kind of.

(Because Mac was so nonchalant about his dad not getting his letter in the finale, and then in the first episode of season 2 he was all angsty about it.)

* * *

 _-One day before Cairo Day.- (Which we do not speak of.)_

"Mac! Whatever you're doing, you better do it faster!" Jack yelled, ducking behind a car for a few seconds before popping back up and returning fire at the five men with assault rifles taking pot shots at himself and Mac.

"You know, if you don't want to me to blow you up, you should keep your mouth shut." Mac yelled back, focused on engine in the old Ford Ranger in front of him.

"No need to get snippy man." Jack said, returning fire and successfully hitting one of the men in shoulder just above his vest. "One down four to go." He murmured to himself, tossing his now empty clip and replacing it with one of his back-ups.

He started firing back at the other four men, trying not to flinch when one of the many bullets aimed towards his face nicked his ear. "Ouch, dammit! Mac! Hurry up!" He yelled, ducking down again. When he looked towards Mac, he couldn't help but laugh a little. Mac's knees we're now on the front bumper and his torso was laying on the old engine, while his right arm was out of sight somewhere under the hood.

"Jack, yelling at me isn't going to make me go any faster." Mac grasped the part he was searching for. "Yes!" He exclaimed, yanking it out and straightening up too fast. "Ouch dammit!" He said, echoing Jack's cry of pain when he whacked his head on the bottom of the hood.

This time Jack laugh loud enough for Mac to hear. Mac turned and glared at him. "Don't you have some men to shoot at?"

Jack just smiled. "Yeah, but don't you have a building to blow up?" He said, turning back around to fire at the men again. "Shut up Jack." Mac said, gathering the rest of the supplies he needed. While Mac was tinkering like an elf on Christmas Eve, Jack was focused on not letting the other 4 men get any closer to him and Mac.

Firing off in three round bursts, he aimed for their arms and shoulders. "Geez Mac. These guys have some pretty impressive firepower. You almost done with that?" He ducked down as another barrage of bullets whizzed by. Mac's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, and his brow was shining with sweat. Without looking up he held out his hand. "Phone and an unfired round."

Jack sighed, pulling back the chamber and letting the bullet fall into MacGyver's hand, and then grabbing his phone and placing it in his outstretched palm. "I want a new one when we get back ya hear? Brand spanking new with all the bells and whistles, and then an extra plain old one that you can rip apart for your death projects."

Mac didn't answer his partners banter, too focused on his task. Jack kept returning fire, managing to hit two more of the men. "Oh no don't worry Mac. Just take your time. I'll just sit here and keep shooting until I'm out of ammo and their reinforcements arrive."

"Jack, if you don't shut up, I might just shoot you when this is all over." Jack turned to retort but Mac shoved the device in his hands. "It needs to be put in the middle of the room for optimal damage." Jack gave Mac a good hard stare.

"You feeling alright buddy? You don't look too good." His face was a shade paler than usual and Jack could see dark circles forming under his eyes. Mac just rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. I'll be better when we get out of here."

"Right." Jack said, glancing up at the 2 men left. He took his spare pistol out of its holster and handed it to Mac. "If I'm gonna go put this sucker in the middle of the room with all the baddies raining led at me, I need you to lay cover fire for me."

Mac shied away from the gun. "No way man. I'll put out there instead." He reached for the device, but Jack leaned back away from him.

"Not gonna happen Mac. You don't think I can't see you're not feeling a hundred percent? You're pale, and sweating more than a pig in the middle of a Texas summer. I can't let you go out there when I know you're not yourself. Now take the damn gun and lay cover fire for me." Jack shoved the gun at Mac, and poised himself to run.

"Jack, I swear. I might just shoot you by accident." Mac said, gripping the gun tightly, a sense of dread washing over him. "3-2-1." Jack counted off, then bolted as Mac stood up and started shooting.

Jack made it to the middle of the room, carefully placed the bomb down, and ran like a bat outta hell back to Mac who was still shooting at the one guy he hadn't hit, and starting emptying the clip rapidly when he saw Jack running back. Jack made it back just as Mac ran out of ammo.

Shoving the gun at Jack, Mac started running away from the gunman and the bomb. "Jack! Let's go! We've only got a minute to get out of here before this place goes!"

Jack started running towards his partner, replacing the clip in his gun and shooting behind him at the guy that was stubbornly staying and rapid firing his assault rifle at them in a desperate attempt to kill them before the bomb went off.

Mac shoved the door open and kept running, looking behind him to make sure that Jack was still there. Mac's internal clock told him the had ten seconds left to get away. "Jack! We got less than ten seconds!" He yelled backwards, only to trip on something in front of him. The force sent him reeling forwards, landing face first in the dirt.

"Mac!" Jack yelled, sliding to a stop and falling on top of him, just as the building exploded and rained debris on top of them. After a minute when the dust cleared the air for the most part, Jack got off of MacGyver's back and surveyed the damage.

"Damn kid. That was one helluva boom." He turned to look at Mac, but he hadn't moved. "Mac?" He said, grabbing Mac's shoulder and turning him over. "Mac! Hey buddy. You gotta wake up."

There was a cut on the right side of Mac's head, blood was slowly but steadily draining out of his nose, and his lip was busted. Those were the only wounds Jack could see, and at the moment the cut on MacGyver's head was his top priority. "Mac. MAC. Wake up!" He patted Mac's cheek, he tried shaking the kid, but his body was just as stubborn as he was. He checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he found one.

He patted Mac down, finally finding his phone in Mac's jacket pocket, and he dialed Matty, setting the phone down and putting it on speaker. "MacGyver?" He heard Matty say.

"Matty! I need a medical team and an evac now. We blew up the building but, Mac, I don't know. One second he's running in front of me, next second I look back at him and he's on the ground face down. He's got a big ass cut on his forehead, and his nose is bleeding, and he ain't conscious."

As he said that, Mac's eyes flew open and he started gasping for breath. He reached out and grasped Jack's arm, while breathing in heavily. "Scratch that he's awake." Jack said, helping him sit up. Mac started coughing harshly, trying to get air into his lungs. Jack just crouched next to him, rubbing his back and trying to help ease the pain and discomfort.

"Jack." Jack turned and grabbed the phone. "Yeah Matty we're still here."

"I've got extraction with medical team headed your way, but you need to try and make it as close to the extraction point as you can."

"Copy that." Jack hung up the phone and shoved it in his back pocket. "Hey buddy, we gotta move. You think you can walk."

Mac closed his eyes and nodded, grasping Jack's other arm, and hoisted himself up. A wave of nausea hit him and the word started spinning. He tightened his hold on Jack's arms as he steadied himself and waited for the world to stop moving.

"Okay. Let's go." He said, letting go of Jack's arms. Jack slung an arm around his shoulders anyway and helped him walk. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Jack spoke up. "What's eating at you kid? You seemed off before the mission, and then you seemed way off back there."

Mac didn't look at Jack. "It's nothing."

"I don't think it's nothing. You were pretty snippy and you don't look too hot." Jack said, scooting to the left away from a large rock in embedded in the dirt.

"I'm fine alright?" Mac said, impatience creeping up inches voice.

"Mac."

Mac sighed. "Fine. You know the letter I sent to my dad?"

Jack looked at him warily. "Yeah, what about it?"

"It came back. I can't find him anywhere." Mac kept his gaze straight ahead, afraid that if he turned to look at his partner he wouldn't be able to control his emotions.

"He never got it?"

"Nope."

Jack took another long hard look at his partner. Mac's face was a mask, covering the pain and hurt Jack knew was there. "I'm really sorry bud. I know you really wanted to find your old man."

Mac couldn't reply. He just looked down at his feet, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. "Hey. Don't go lose yourself in that big head of yours. We'll find him okay? Just, starting the day AFTER tomorrow. Tomorrow we don't do anything but gorge ourselves on take-out and have a Die Hard marathon."

Mac looked at him warily. "Die Hard? Again? I don't think I'll ever understand your obsession with those movies." He shook his head in mock disapproval.

"Dude. Don't diss Bruce Willis."

"I'm not dissing Bruce Willis. I'm trying to figure out why you love Die Hard more than a little girl loves puppies and kittens."

Jack put his free hand to his chest as if in pain. "I am wounded by your words."

"How is that offensive?"

"You're comparing me to a little girl! I ain't no little girl Mac, and I don't _love_ puppies and kittens. Sure, they're cute, but I'm not head over heels for em."

"Whatever Jack." Mac said, a smile playing his lips as he rolled his eyes. Jack smiled at that. After a minute of silence, Mac spoke.

"Thanks Jack."

"For what pal?"

"For being yourself when I need you to be, and being here."

Jack smiled. "Well where else would I be? Egypt?'

"Hey hey." Mac said, a smile forming. "We don't," Jack joined him for the last part. "Speak of Cairo."

Mac laughed at their banter back and forth and Jack's superstition.

They walked the rest of the way in a somewhat comfortable silence. Once they reached the extraction location, a medical team rushed up to Mac, and hustled him into the awaiting plane, Jack closed behind.

When Jack stepped on the plane, Mac was already sitting down with one lady checking every square inch of his body, while the other was taking his vitals. Jack chuckled. Mac looked really uncomfortable with the two ladies probing him. Mac was never one for physical intimacy, and these ladies were popping his personal bubble. Jack could see a couple small bruises forming on Mac's chest and left cheek, but he seemed relatively okay.

"Nothing about this is funny Jack." Mac said, noticing his partners smirk.

"Dude. You should see your face. You look like my grandma is pinching your cheek and kissing your face."

Mac opened his mouth to respond, but one of the ladies stuck a thermometer in his mouth. Jack couldn't help it and he burst out laughing. Mac's look of surprise turned into annoyance at Jack's hysterics. "Oh. Man. You're face." Jack said, gasping for breath in-between laughs. Mac decided to ignore him, and waited for the two women to finish.

Once Jack caught his breath, he sat down in the seat across from Mac's and watched as the ladies packed up their stuff. "You have a mild concussion, a few bruises scattered across your torso, but nothing major. Just take it easy for the next few days." They picked up their bags and went to sit in the back of the plane, scribbling stuff down on a notepad.

Jack looked at Mac and noticed him staring at him with an odd look Jack couldn't quite place. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just glad Matty didn't send the Evil Elf." Mac responded, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Whoo wee. Now that would've been some prime entertainment right there." Jack joked.

Mac glared. "I'm glad my pain and suffering amuses you."

"Naw. Not the pain. Just your dislike of doctors, nurses, and hospitals, and the uncomfortable looks you get when you're being checked on or fixed. _That_ amuses me." Jack said, getting up to sit by MacGyver.

Mac stared at him as he sat down on the couch next to him. Jack looked over at him, noticing his stare again. "What's on your mind bro? Other than your old man of course."

Mac looked into his eyes. "Why do you put up with me?"

Jack hid his partial shock at the abrupt question. "What do you mean put up with you? There's nothing to _put up_ with. You're Mac. A genius kid who has saved the world more times than James Bond and Bruce Willis put together. And that's saying something. Not many people have done that." Mac looked down at his lap as Jack continued. "And no matter what happens with your dad, I'll be there with you. And we are going to find him Mac."

Mac looked up at him again, a look of pain etched into his face. "How do you know though? How can you be sure?" Jack noticed the dark circles under Mac's eyes again, and the way he seemed to be fighting to sit up straight. He scooted closer to Mac, their hips almost touching, and put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him over to him.

Mac unconsciously laid his head on Jack's shoulder, and closed his eyes. "I know, because you are the smartest person I know, and we have the best family, who are gonna help us find him."

Mac adjusted the way he was sitting so he could lay his head on Jack's lap. Jack smiled and ran his fingers through the blond hair, finally feeling the tiredness his body had been hiding from him as the pull of sleep finally took him, and he fell asleep with on hand on Mac's side and one in his hair.

* * *

So yeah. There's number 2! If you enjoyed it would you mind leaving a review? And, seriously you guys, Fridays can't come fast enough right now. Who loved 2x01? AAAAHHHH! And that part at the beginning when Mac jumps into the other guys car, and then Jack doesn't have brake and Mac says something like, 'crap. this is gonna hurt' and then we assume they drove off the cliff, and then they're fine after the theme song? PRIME FANFICTION MATERIAL RIGHT THERE. If someone doesn't write a one shot about it, I will. I can't promise it anytime soon, but I watched it and went, yes! Fanfiction material!

Anyways... sorry. I tend to rant. I don't even know if that made sense. Thank you for reading!


	4. Poisoned

***Hi** **peeps! So I've decided to do some one shots either during Army days, or post army cause I'm weird and I want to make up my own version. Yep. This is post army, about a month after Mac and Jack get back. So yeah. Just warning you, I SUCK at endings. Which is why I have a bunch of unfinished fan fiction from other fandoms on my laptop.**

 **Also, I have no idea if what Mac does in this story would actually work or not, but it's really late, and I have a headache so I'm probably not thinking very logically.**

 **Aaaand, because I've gone off the deep end with this story, this one is non-canon. For those who don't know what Non-Canon is, it basically means nothing in this story follows the story line of the tv show. This is not going to correlate with the OG or the new series.**

 _*Just in case you didn't read my note up there, this is set a little more than a month after Mac and Jack get back from overseas._

Mac couldn't get comfortable. No matter how hard he tried, nothing he wore felt right. The rough polyester cotton blend of his uniform had become the only thing he wore. Now, being back home, it wasn't the bed that was uncomfortable. It was his clothes.

Everything was too soft. Too flimsy. Sometimes it felt like they were suffocating him, others felt like they were going to fall off if he kept walking around. Bozer tried to help, but he didn't know what to do. The only thing Mac could tolerate was a cheap cotton undershirt and his uniform pants. Flip flops were a huge no. Work boots, his regulation boots, and tennis shoes were all he could handle in that area.

Plus, regular pants didn't have the same storage capacity that his uniform pants did. But when Bozer wanted to take him shopping for new clothes, Mac didn't fight his best friend and he let Bozer drag him into a department store.

Which is how Mac found himself in the middle of a store robbery, hiding behind a rack of clothes, fumbling for his Swiss army knife.

Mac had been following his best friend around the mens section, watching his friend grab various articles of clothing and talking to himself about how he assumed Mac was still the same size, and what he thought Mac could handle wearing, when Mac heard the distinct sound of a gun cocking. He grabbed Bozer's shoulders and shoved him down to the ground, kneeling next to him.

"Mac! What the.." Bozer said after being unceremoniously thrown to the floor, then hearing the gun fire. Bozer's eyes went wide, looking at Mac with fear.

"Stay here, go hide behind some clothes, but do not come out. Got it?" Mac said softly, waiting for Bozer to nod before turning around and slowly walking towards the front of the building.

He quietly crept up to the closest clothing rack and peered over. He could see four sales associates huddled up in a group behind the counter, but he couldn't be sure there weren't more somewhere else out of sight. He counted nine customers down on their stomachs in front of the shooter, who was claud in black, holding a Smith n Wesson 380 at them, and had another strapped to his left thigh.

The ski mask over his face made Mac roll his eyes. Why do they always wear ski masks? They're stereotyping jacket the man was wearing looked bulky, almost as if he had a vest on underneath. Mac frowned at that observation.

"Get me the money from the cash registers. All of them." He said in a gruff voice, waving the gun at the workers.

MacGyver started assessing the gunman. He kept looking back over his shoulder, but he didn't seem nervous. He seemed to be looking for someone. He held the gun in one hand, the other was gripping something on his hip. Mac unzipped his pants pocket and drew out his Swiss Army Knife, already formulating a plan. He crept back to Bozer and told him to call the cops, while grabbing t-shirts off a shelf and ripping them into strips with his knife.

"Mac, what're you doin?" Bozer whispered, getting his phone out of his pocket.

"You'll see. Just call the police, and be quiet." Mac answered, focused on keeping his task as quiet as he could. Once he ripped the shirts, he crawled on his knees to the hanging racks and started unscrewing some of the bolts, but left enough so that the racks wouldn't fall apart. He put the screws in his pocket and crawled back to Bozer who was now off the phone.

"Mac, they said they're on their way, but they've gotten three other calls that this store is being robbed. I think there are more shooters in here in other areas." Bozer looked worried.

Mac cursed under his breath. "Okay. I need you to call a number for me." He recited the number while taking the strips of cloth and putting some of the bolts on each one.

"Who am I calling again?" Bozer asked softly, waiting for the person to pick up.

"Just tell him the Shepard needs his sheep and where we are. He'll get it. If he asks you any other questions just try and answer them. Oh, and tell him to bring his babies." Mac whispered, ignoring the complete confusion written on his best friends face.

Mac, though he would never shoot a gun, carried around a couple bullets with him in his pocket just to be super careful. You never know when you might need some gun powder or a shell casing. Taking his knife, he cut open the bullets and poured a little of the gunpowder on each pile of screws. He then tied all of the strips of cloth up and was left with ring box sized balls with about 3 inches of fabric hanging from the knot.

He grabbed his cigar lighter and punctured a hole near the top of the plastic piece with the tip of his knife and poured a tad on each end of his little fabric balls. He could hear Bozer talking on the phone, but it all started to get quiet. Like the calm before the storm.

He knew how he was going to take out the gunman, but how to get the people out of the way. He needed to figure that out. He started doing calculations in his head, and didn't notice when Bozer was calling his name. "-ac. Mac!" Bozer whispered violently.

Mac turned to look at him. "What?"

"Your pal wants to know how many guys?" Mac shrugged.

"Tell him unknown but I think maybe 7-12." Bozer turned back to his phone, and Mac scooped up his cloth balls, crawling back to the counter. The lady who had been getting the cash from the registers was emptying the last one, and the shooter seemed frustrated.

Mac was trying to figure out how to get all of the people behind the counter or in the racks of clothes away from the man, when he started shouting. "All of you! Behind the counter!"

Mac couldn't believe his luck. Which is why he knew something was up. Why weren't they leaving after they got the cash? Why stay and keep hostages? Mac let his brain go through the possible outcomes of that, while he grabbed his almost empty lighter and lit the end of one of his shirt balls. He waited till the ends were almost completely engulfed with flames before throwing it behind the shooter, and lighting another one.

The man didn't notice it till it was too late. The fire reached the gunpowder and sent the screws and bolts flying in every direction. He heard the people behind the counter scream, and the shooter yell out in pain. Mac tossed the second one, this one exploded before it hit the ground.

While the shooter was occupied, Mac ran up and tackled him to the ground, gripping his wrist and knocking the gun out of his hand. Gripping the gun, Mac punched his jaw and then pistol whipped him in the temple, effectively knocking the man out. He tossed the gun to the side and leaned back on the balls of his feet, catching his breath for only a moment before he stood up and walked over to the gun.

Scooping it up, he released the clip and shoved it in his pocket, then un-chambered the round and let it fall in his palm. He inspected the bullet before putting it in his pocket and putting the gun on the counter. "It's safe to come out now." He said, going back to the shooter and taking his other gun and the holster, and strapped it to himself. The gun was only for precaution. To be used in a worse case scenario.

Mac turned the man on his side to see what his other hand had been gripping, and his stomach dropped. "Boze! Give me your phone. Now!" He shouted, grabbing the device off the shooters belt and checking it front and back. Bozer came running out from behind the racks of clothes and handed Mac his phone.

Mac wordlessly dial the number, and anxiously waited for the person to pick up.

"Bozer?" He heard Jack say.

"Jack, he had a kill switch. I've got ten minutes to find the device before everyone in here dies and we have another Attalla." Mac could hear Jack swear over the phone.

"Dammit Mac. What side are you on?"

"Uh, the northeast entrance. The one with the weird 'modern art' sculpture by the doors. But Jack, I think there's more than one guy in here. And this place is huge. You have a team with you?"

"I got a few warm bodies with me, yeah. I'll be there in two. Try not to get shot before I get there."

Mac tried to followed Jack's advice, really. He did. But almost right after he hug up with Jack, one of the shooters buddies came over, took stock of the scene, and pulled out his gun.

"Get down!" Mac yelled, grabbing one of his makeshift shrapnel grenades and lighting it, while running towards where Bozer had been standing, throwing it backwards at shooter number two. Mac could hear the shots being fired, but kept running down the aisle for a few seconds, before stopping and crouching behind the shelf of shirts he and Bozer were at earlier.

He heard his explosive go off, a shout of pain and anger, and then silence. The only thing he could hear was the soft music playing over the sound system of the store. "Don't worry be happy. Don't worry be happy now…" Mac thought the song was somewhat ironic. He slowly stood up and peered over the shirts. Not seeing anyone, Mac stepped out from behind the shelves and crept forward. Bozer made a move to follow Mac, but Mac put his hand out behind him to stop him from coming with him.

"Mac!" Bozer whispered harshly, watching his friend walk towards the big guy with a gun. Mac peered over one of the stacks of jeans. He could see the remnants of the bomb, but the man wasn't there. As Mac turned around, he heard the sound of the gun go off, then a sharp pain pierce the side of his shoulder. Ducking down, he ran into the open area, clutching his arm, and trying to draw the shooter out and away from Bozer and the other people.

For the most part, the shooter seemed to follow him as he weaved in and out of the shelves and racks, firing when Mac would come out into the open. Mac slid behind a perfume counter, laying flat down so he wasn't as visible through the glass.

The shooter started whistling along to the song as he crept towards Mac. He found it unnerving. Mac could hear him reloading his gun, and slowly walking towards his hiding place. He slowly slid backwards trying to be quiet as he tried to get somewhere with a better cover, but the throbbing in his arm was making it difficult to focus. The shooter kept whistling as he got closer and closer to Mac's position.

Mac could feel the blood seeping into the side of his shirt as it started to form a small puddle on the ground. Mac peered up and looked through the glass. The man, also dressed completely in black, was turned the other direction. "Oh Mr. army man. Come out come out wherever you are." He said in a voice that make Mac in voluntarily shiver. Mac slowly sat up and crawled out from behind the counter, poised to run when the shooter suddenly turned to his right. Turning back to give Mac a creepy smile before running to the left down the walkway, shouting back at Mac. "This isn't over."

Confused, Mac slowly stood up and looked around. He sighed in relief when he saw Jack, vest on, and gun in hand sweeping the permitter with five other guys. When Jack noticed Mac, his smile quickly turned into concern when he noticed the blood coming out from between the kids fingers that was tightly gripping his arm.

Noticing the pale pallor of his friend, Jack holstered his gun while running over to Mac. Mac's head hurt, and he couldn't figure out why he couldn't focus his eyes on his friends face even though he was right in front of him. Suddenly out of no where, Mac had the overwhelming urge to release the contents of his stomach.

Jack saw Mac's face turn green, seconds before he hunched over and threw up on the ground. He just rubbed Mac's back in a comforting gesture. Once Mac was done, he straightened up shakily, still unable to focus on anything clearly. "Hey pal. You okay? I thought I told you not to get shot." Jack's voice sounded foggy. Like he was across the room.

Mac managed a weak smile. "Not my fault. Too many civilians in here. I had to keep the guy distracted." Mac's words came out breathy and sluggish. Next thing he knew he was sitting on the ground and Jack was crunched in front of him, one hand on Mac's knee, the other holding a cell phone. Mac felt tired. His eyelids did not want to stay open. Jack's hand moved off his knee and cupped Mac's face. "-th me? Mac. You with me?" Mac met the older man's gaze and groaned.

"Oh yeah. He's out of it Patty. Send a Medical team. This isn't just from being shot. There's gotta be something else wrong." The person on the other line started talking again and Jack responded quickly, then hung up, focusing his attention on his fallen comrade.

Mac couldn't focus. There was a slight buzz in his ears. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that was wrong. Something was wrong, but he couldn't focus enough to figure it out. He vaguely remembered Jack gently moving his hand that was clutching his arm off, and wrapping it with something, and Bozer saying something, though Mac couldn't remember when he got there, before giving into the black that had slowly been creeping up on the edges of his vision.

* **Okay guys. So… I concussed myself last week and didn't know it. I swear. It was the weirdest thing. Sudden bouts of blurry vision, dizziness when you're sitting or laying down, the constant nausea and headaches. I put it together the day afterwards but I was out of town and I couldn't see a doc. I went on Monday (after I was mostly over it) and he said I have Post Concussion Syndrome and to take it easy so if I don't update as often thats why and that's why this is so late! Sorry! If anything doesn't make sense let me know!**

 **On another note… FRIDAY CANNOT COME FAST ENOUGH! OH MY GOSH. MURDOC IS BACK, HE HAS MAC, AND I WON'T GET TO WATCH IT FOR A FEW HOURS AFTER IT AIRS AND I'M SO MAD! Sorry. I needed to rant. GAH! My inner fangirl is coming out…**

 **Also, this is gonna be another two shot and I have no idea where this is gonna go. This is coming to me at 11 P.M when I should be sleeping cause I have to get up in 7 hours for work… if anyone has a suggestion on where this could possibly go, I welcome the assistance. I'm basically improvising and flying by the seed of my pants as of this point. Which is how I write most of my stories so it's not that uncommon for me… Anyways. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Poisoned 2

***Public service announcement. I'M SORRY. The last couple of weeks, I've been super busy with life and then the World Series was on and I'm a DIE HARD Astros fan and HOLY CRAP WE WON! So Wednesday night the 1st of Nov, I went and stood in line to get WSC apparel till 4 A.M the next day, then I saw Thor Thursday night, (amazing btw), then work on Friday, and Saturday, Sunday is my day off but I finished my Murdoc story that I posted under Murdoc One-Shots, and now I'm determined to finish this one. Hopefully I'll be able to fit in time to write but most of the time I just write in long spurts so yeah. I was also moving into a rental house and we didn't have wifi for 2 weeks so… I've had this done for a while just, unable to upload it cause I don't have time to go to a internet cafe and use the wifi cause, ya know, work. Life. It's annoying. None of this makes actual sense does it? Oh well. This quote hit me right in my gut and seemed appropriate.**

* * *

 ** _Words on a Turkish War Memorial to ANZAC troops at Gallipoli_**

 _"Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country._

 _Therefore rest in peace._

 _There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in this country of ours._

 _You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace._

 _After having lost their lives on this land they become our sons as well." - Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, 1934._

* * *

 _"_ _He's not coming back son."_

 _"_ _You have feelings about the bomb. The bomb doesn't have feelings about you."_

 _"_ _You're so focused on what you think the problem is, you don't see what's hidden underneath."_

 _"_ _Come on Mac. Use that big brain of yours and help me get us out of this mess."_

* * *

Mac woke up when Jack slapped him. He sluggishly brought his hand up to his cheek. "What the hell Jack?" He mumbled, having a hard time opening his eyes even though he was awake and alert. His left cheek was stinging, so he started rubbing it.

"Mac. Hey, you gotta wake up man. Medics'll kill me if I don't keep you conscious." Mac could see Jack's form. Well, part of it, and there were two of him.

"Jack. I'm, awake." Mac was getting frustrated at his lack of control over his body, and the slowness of his words.

"You wanna open those baby blues for me man?"

"Can't."

Jack paused, taking a long look at his friend. He grabbed his wrist and felt his quick pulse. "You can't open your eyes anymore?"

Mac slowly shook his head. His mind started whirling through what his problem could be, document all of his limitations. Droopy eyelids, muscle weakness starting from the top of his body, nausea, but fully conscious. His stomach dropped with dread when he figured it out. He immediately started going over his actions the last twenty-four hours, trying to figure out when he could have gotten the poison.

Jack, who had been staring at his friend intently for the past few minutes watching the wheels turn in Mac's head, noticed the already pale face go even whiter and grabbed his wrist again. "Mac?" He said in a small voice. "What's going through that big head of yours?"

Mac tried to speak but it came out as a croak. Another one of the signs. A decreased production of saliva causing dry mouth and throat. He slowly grasped Jack's hand weakly, needing some kind of lifeline to hold on to, to make sure he could still feel things, and that he wasn't alone. "Water." His voice was slurred. His tongue felt like it was slowly becoming numb.

"Hey, Box, can you find somethin' for Mac to drink?" Jack turned to the tall man in jeans and an army green t-shirt.

"Sure Jack. Anything for Hollywood." The man said with a smile, using Mac's army nickname.

Mac was confused. "Boxer's here?"

Jack turned to look at his friend, smiling even though Mac couldn't see it. "Yeah man. Who do you think secured the place till the cops got here? I got the whole gang together. I was gonna surprise you later for dinner. I know you've been having a rough time after coming back home, and I thought maybe seeing the guys might help a little. In hindsight that really may have not been the best idea, but it sure came in handy today."

Jack watched as Mac started laughing one second, then gasping, wrapping an arm around his middle the next. He watched in horrified fascination as Mac's face developed a strange look, almost like a cringe but he was unable to move his face, as he cried out softly in pain. "What's wrong?" Mac could barely hear Jack over the loud ringing in his ears. "Mac. Talk to me man."

Mac leaned back, suddenly aware of the bandage circling his bicep where his GSW was, and trying to take deep breaths. "Check on Bozer." Mac slurred out once again. "Think.. poisoned."

Jack felt the blood drain from his face. "With what Mac? What were you poisoned with?" Jack got a firm grip on his emotions and went full Delta operator on Mac when he failed to answer him. "MacGyver! Report. What were you poisoned with?"

Mac's military training kicked in when he heard Jack's command, reverting back to military speech. "Botulism sir. Possibly ingested at 0800 today." Mac tried to speak clearly, but it came out more like, "Btulsm sr. Posbly ingstd at 0800 tday." His tongue was beginning to feel like lead, and the urge to throw up once again was slowly growing. He tried to take another deep breath, but the air dried his throat even more, causing a coughing fit.

He hunched over, the hacking noises he was making worrying himself and Jack who had stood up to grab the bottle of water Box was handing to him, rapidly turning the cap to open it and kneeling back down in front of him. He gently eased Mac back to lean against the glass counter, putting the bottle to his lips. "Alright Mac. Drink up. But slowly." Mac obeyed, slowly sipping the water, but quickly realizing that his throat had swelled a little from his breakfasts second appearance.

The water calmed the coughing attack, making it easier for Mac to breathe. Jack pulled the bottle away from Mac's mouth, putting the cap back on and watching Mac's chest rise up and down harshly. "Jack."

"Yeah pal. I'm right here."

"Botulism. I won't be able to talk soon. When are the medics gonna get here?"

"Any minute, Mac. I'll call and see." Jack pulled out his phone and was about to call the ambulance when someone came bursting through the doors. Jack scrambled to his feet, grabbing his gun out of its sheath an aiming towards the noise. Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, he re-sheathed his gun and waved at the two paramedics. "Over here." He squatted down to Mac's eye level and gripped his knee. "The EMT's are here pal."

Jack moved over to the left to make room for them as the man rolled a stretcher with bag on it near Mac, set the bag down and started looking for something, and the woman knelt in front of Mac. "Alright. My name is Sally, this is Zach. Can you tell me what happened?"

Mac groaned when Sally gently took the bandage covering his wound off to get a better look at it. "He was shot roughly ten minutes ago, and he said he thinks he was poisoned with Botulism. I don't know when though." Jack answered. She nodded, motioning for the Zach to come over. "We need to get this shoulder wrapped and check for other injuries. Probable clostridium botulinum bacteria poisoning. Pulse is 98, eyelids drooping, have you experienced abdominal pain? Nausea or vomiting?"

"All of the above." Mac slurred yet again.

"Okay. We're gonna get you on a stretcher and strap you down. Is that alright?"

Mac tried to nod but found that moving his head made it throb, so he just hummed his agreement. While Sally got MacGyver on the ground, back down, Zach grabbed the hard plastic piece from the top of the stretcher and spread it open above Mac's head so the two halves were on either side of him. He moved the right, Sally moving to the left, and they carefully pushed the halves together underneath Mac. "We're going to lift you up and put you on the gurney, okay?" Sally said, placing a hand on Mac's calf in reassurance.

"Yeah. Jack." Mac mumbled out, trying to move his hand towards the man he was calling out for. Jack all but rocketed from his spot behind the paramedics over to Mac's side as Sally and Zach lifted up on either end of the board underneath him. "Hey pal. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." Jack watched as they laid the board on top of the gurney and spread it apart, gently letting Mac fall onto the plush part, never releasing his grip on Mac's hand.

Jack was having a hard time remembering that Mac was fully conscious and not about to pass out. As they were rolling Mac out, Bozer ran out from the blockade of bodies, seeing his friend being wheeled out on a gurney. "Mac! Jack what's wrong with Mac?" Bozer was shouting as he dashed from one side of the store to the other.

"I'm right behind you Mac okay? I gotta go talk to Bozer." He squeezed Mac's hand before releasing it. "You don't leave without me, got it? You don't go anywhere with him without me." He said to Zach who nodded as they went out the sliding glass doors. Jack caught Bozer at a full run by the shoulders, causing both Jack to stumble backwards a few steps.

"Jack! What're you doing? I need to go with Mac!" Bozer said, trying to push Jack out of the way.

"Hey hey hey. Boze. You can come with us, alright?" Bozer stopped struggling in Jack's grasp, finally stopping to listen to what Jack was saying. "But only on one condition okay? You have to do exactly what I say, even if it seems like strange. Alright?" Bozer gave Jack a wary glance.

"Fine, but why?"

Jack sighed, releasing his grip on Bozer's shoulders, and letting his own slump down. "The last time Mac was in a hospital was after a mission gone wrong. It wasn't pretty, and Mac barely made it out. The hospital stay was rough on Mac, and if he's fully awake, but can't actually communicate with us for a while. It might bring back some bad memories. If I say get out, then you get out of that room, got it?"

Bozer looked wary, but agreed. "Alright Jack. I'll 'follow orders'. I'll meet you at the hospital. I'm gonna drive my car over. I don't want to leave it here."

Jack gave Bozer's shoulder a squeeze before following him out the door and hopping in the back of the ambulance. "Alright Mac. Did these evil elf people annoy you to death with their nursing mumbo jumbo?" Jack heard Mac's sad attempt at laughter, before gasping for air. Sally turned and grabbed an oxygen mask, gently placing it over MacGyver's face. After a few deep breaths, Mac's body started relaxing and his breathing got easier.

"So. Botulism huh? You think you got it by accident? Or do you think someone poisoned you on purpose?"

Mac's tongue felt like it was made of lead, but managed to get out a 'second one' somewhat coherently. Jack looked at him with a small amount of fear in his eyes. "Do you know who?" Mac shook his head. No. He didn't know. But he figured the guy who shot him had something to do with it.

"Well, we'll figure it out once you can actually move your face again." Jack laughed a little and noticed the sides of Mac's mouth go up just a little. Jack kept rambling on, refusing to let Mac get lost in his big head, and didn't shut up until he was forced to wait outside Mac's room at the hospital. Jack grabbed a chair and sat right outside Mac's room, looking up over his shoulder at the smallest noise.

Thirty minutes later, the doctor came out of Mac's room. Jack quickly stood up, shoving his phone in his pocket and began asking about Mac. The doctor held up his hand. "He'll be alright. It will take a few days for the antidote to fully make its way through his system but we caught it early enough. We're going to sedate him and stitch up his arm, but nothing so far requires surgery."

Jack let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Sedatives work funny with him. You should up your normal dose. He won't stay out nearly as long as you think." Jack paused for a second. "Can, can I see him?"

"Sure. He's on oxygen, and the medication may make him tired, or it may make him hyper. It's different with everyone."

Jack rolled his eyes. "With his luck it'll make him hyper and he'll get stuck in his own head." He was about to push the door open when he paused. "Wait. When will the droopy face stuff go away?"

"Hopefully within the next couple of hours."

Glad to hear the good news, Jack nodded and opened the door to his partner's room. Mac was reclined up on the hospital bed, and IV in his left arm, a nasal canal on his face, his bicep freshly bandaged, and several wires poking out of the top of his hideous blue and white hospital gown. "Hey pal! How ya doin?"

If Mac could move, he would have rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah yeah. I know. You can't talk right now. You know, this is gonna be a very one-sided conversation, and you can't respond so that means, I can talk about whatever I want!" Jack flopped down on the chair next to Mac's bed. "And you can't stop me either." Jack grinned even though he knew Mac couldn't see. "So. I know you're not secret about your nerdyness, so I'm gonna assume you like Star Wars? Yes?" He looked at Mac for a few seconds. "I'm not hearing a no so I'm gonna take that as a yes. Alright. Let's get a few things straight. The original trilogy is a hundred times better than the prequels, Greedo shot first, and Star Wars is better than Star Trek. Also, just so we're clear, Die Hard and my man Bruce Willis is still my favorite. Personally, my favorite is A New Hope. Everyone is totally badass, and Vader, gah! Man. He is awesome." Jack paused, looking at his friend for a minute in silence. The monitor connected to Mac's chest started to beep faster, alerting Jack to his friends dislike of the lack sound.

"Hey. I'm still here buddy. What'da think. Should we watch Star Wars? I'm gonna see if they have it on this fancy TV." He reached for the remote which was on the tray on the other side of Mac's bed. Turning the TV on, he flipped through the list of movies they had. "Ah ha! They have episode 4! You good with that?" He looked over at Mac, who was starting to get annoyed with the one-sidedness of the conversation. "Didn't hear a no, so imma take that was a yes!" Pressing a few buttons, he finally got the movie to start.

Mac appreciated Jack's constant banter about stuff. It kept him grounded, even if he couldn't reply back. If he's being honest, Jack's jokes about Mac not being able to respond were kind of funny, if not annoying. He heard the opening scene, and pictured the yellow words scrolling on the screen as Jack read them out loud to him. As he listened to the movie, his other senses started working overtime. He could feel Jack's body heat sitting next to him, he could feel and hear the cool air blowing in through the ducts on the right wall, the pinch of the IV, the small weight of the sensors on his chest, and the gentle stream of oxygen coming in through the nasal canal that was pinching his nose.

Jack, noticing his partners heart rate and breathing going up, rested his arm next to Mac's on the bed as Darth Vader ordered his troops around the Tantive IV*. The presence of Jack's arm seemed to be calming Mac down, so Jack moved his hand over Mac's and curled his fingers around his palm, giving it a small reassuring squeeze.

They watched the remainder of the movie in silence, Jack often giving Mac's hand a squeeze to remind him that he was there, and Mac just let his brain get lost in the movie. He forgot about his lack of mobility, forgot someone had purposely drugged him earlier that day or the day before and he didn't have the smallest clue why, and just got lost in the world of Star Wars. He felt safe enough to relax with the familiar presence of Jack by his side.

Mac didn't even realize he had control over his eyelids when they started to close all the way as the adrenaline crash and the exhaustion of the day caught up with him, till he heard the loud crash of a metal tray falling onto the tile floor. His eyes flew open and he pulled his hands to his sides and sat up, breathing heavily.

The first thing he noticed was Jack's surprised expression, and Bozer, now sitting next to Jack. Jack stood up and grabbed Mac's good forearm. "Mac? Ha! Mac!" Jack pulled Mac's arm to him, and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, swaying back and forth, his laughter stemming from the release of nervous tension that had been filling the room since they had gotten there.

Mac returned the hug with fervor, burying his head in Jack's chest as he let loose the tears of fear that wouldn't come earlier. After a few moments, they released each other and Mac wiped his damp face, taking a deep breath and reigning in his emotions as Jack stepped back to let Bozer look at his friend. Mac smiled when he saw the huge goofy grin on his best friends face. "Hey Boze." Out of the blue Mac remembered leaving his friend in the clothing racks to go fight the gunman. "Are you okay?" Mac asked, giving his friend a worried once over. Bozer let out a short laugh. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question? You were just poisoned, and shot!" Mac gave him a sheepish look.

"I left you behind."

Bozer gave him a smiling glare. "Dude. If you hadn't left me behind I'd probably be dead! I'm just glad you're moving around again, and not stuck in some weird state of conscious unconsciousness." Bozer leaned down to hug Mac. Mac returned the hug, but corrected Bozer on his inaccurate description of Mac's symptoms. Bozer and Jack rolled their eyes in sync, making Mac smile, before a nurse walked in with a clipboard and a syringe.

Mac's smile vanished when he noticed the syringe and the nurse getting closer. "So, I see you have mobility now. Is there any limitations that you notice? Any pain?" Mac shook his head to both, looking at her with distain and a small touch of fear. Jack laid a hand on Mac's shoulder in a calming gesture. The nurse marked something on her chart and set it down on the table next to Mac's bed.

"This is a sedative to help you sleep." She said, taking the syringe and putting the end into Mac's IV drip port.

"I don't need a sedative!" Mac said, moving over to the side of the bed with the IV pole as if to stop her. Jack held his shoulder back, preventing Mac from moving too far. The nurse gave him a sideways glance and a smile as she pulled the syringe out and disposed of it. She came to the side of the bed and looked at Mac in the eyes. "Yes. You do. You were just poisoned with botulism, and your body needs time to recover and heal." She put a hand on top of his and looked him in the eyes. "Get some rest. The better you're doing the sooner you can leave." She smiled and left the room with the clipboard and a smile.

Jack looked back at Mac who was trying to fight the urge to lay down and sleep for a week. His eyelids were dropping closed, but in a good way this time. Mac felt his limbs go limp and he would have crashed into the back of the bed, but Jack caught him and slowly laid him down, being careful not to hit his injured bicep or the IV.

"I'm gonna go grab something from the cafeteria. You want something?" Bozer asked, sensing Jack needed a minute alone with Mac. "Sure. Just get me something with meat." Bozer gave a small smile before exiting the room.

Jack looked down at the sleeping form of his brother. He ran a hand though the blonde locks and moved them out of Mac's face. "You're going to be the death of me one day." Jack grinned, the realization of the horrible situation being over and sat down next to Mac's bed, hoping to get a few moments of peace before being barraged with questions by his former team.

When Bozer walked back in the room with a burger for Jack, he found them both asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, he quietly placed the burger on the tray near Mac's bed and exited the room with a smile and a shake of his head.

* * *

*Tantive IV is the name of the ship at the beginning of the A New Hope. Star Wars nerd.

 **Okay. You guys had better appreciate this chapter. Do you know how many hours I spent researching EMT and hospital protocols, like 3 hours alone just on Botulism, and picking my family and friends brains on procedures inside a ambulance and emergency rooms, and I'm sure I screwed something up anyways. Seriously. My brain is gonna explode, and my F &F aren't gonna talk to me for a while cause I annoyed them to no end question after question. And by the way, Botulism used to be fatal around 90% percent of the time, but with advanced technology the death rate is only 6%. **


End file.
